A Song Of Endless Love
by Sebastian-Flight
Summary: Glitch, now a 85 year old man, tells D.G's grandchildren the romantic story of his life with Cain.
1. The darkness of being lonely

**Disclaimer:**  
I do not claim any rights to the characters in this story. All rights belong to the spirit of L. Frank Baum, Sci-Fi Channel and RHI Entertainment

A Song of endless Love

Chapter 1: The darkness of being lonely

It was silent in his room… silent and dark. The only thing he could see was the dark night sky with thousands of bright stars outside of his window. He often looked up to the sky. He looked up and thought about the Stars. Where they belonged to, what they meant. To him stars had a special meaning... a meaning of afterlife. Once, when he was a child, his grandmother had told him that the stars are loved ones who passed away a long time ago. When he was younger he didn't want to believe her, he always had to laugh. Why did he have to believe her? He was a brilliant scientist, everything that had to do with spirits and destiny were only humbug for him. But now after time passed, he looked to the stars and longed to become one of them. His eyes were tired… tired and sad. The looming chocolate brown eyes had disappeared ... only some sad, languid eyes were left. He sat in his chair and suddenly little tears rolled over his cheek and fell onto his knee. He tried to strike them off with his pale, wrinkled, shaking hand but his glance froze when he recognized the sight of it. He observed his hand for a long time. It hadn't been that wrinkly all the time... but the time when it had been fresh and youthful was so long ago. He couldn't even remember how long. He often forgot things now and he often cried… and he's lonely. There was nothing else left to his life other than sitting in an old room that once was a overwhelming laboratory, and looking tearfully to the sky, searching for old memories. He knew when he was younger there was a time when he had forgotten everything of his past the same as he did now… but suddenly all the memories came back to him and a happy new life had started, but now he was sure that once they were gone, they wouldn't come back. The thought of losing all the lovely moments he had spent with his friends and his beloved and the thought that his life was slowly fading away made him cry. He thought that there was no hope left, but most of the time he wasn't even sure if he really thought that. Life was sad and confusing and very exhausting. But sometimes, not very often but sometimes, there were happy moments in his old life. Moments when they made him remember. Every time they arrived he was filled with joy and he felt his stomach jump. They were the descendents of DG her beloved great-grandchildren, Sapphire and Glinda II, he always thought that their names were funny but they fit very well. Her parents, the grandchildren of DG, had thought that it would be best to name their children, the former heirs of the throne, after pretty gems and dead ancients. Anyway, they were his last pride and joy. He still lived in the castle at the Northern Island, they still allowed him to live in his old room even after he couldn't work as an advisor anymore. Although he had provided the royal family with a long and faithful service, helped to raise DG´s children and grandchildren and taught them reading, writing and dancing, he felt lonely and like a stranger near all these young smiling faces. When he was sitting at the dinner table and Anne, DG´s eldest daughter, asked him if everything is all right, he tried to hide his misery. With his once so beloved soft and warm smile he always said, "I´m all right, Anne. It´s just the same old suffering. Please there's nothing you have to worry about." Anne answered his statement with a gently understanding nod, but he knew that his answer always made her heart break. But even these moments faded away and every time Anne's youngest daughter came to spend time at the castle, together with her husband and her two little children, his heart felt like warm butter melting away. He loved Anne's grandchildren and they loved him! Especially his stories. It was 3am when he realized that he was lost in his thoughts again and that his eyes hurt from the many hours he had spent awake. There was no way out, it was time for bed. With a deep sigh he scuffed to his bed and slipped under the covers. Tomorrow they would visit them again. Tomorrow he would tell them his most loved story. Slowly he closed his sleepy eyes and slept without dreaming.


	2. Remembering Hurts

Chapter 2: Remembering hurts

Ambrose woke to the sunlight beaming in through the laboratory windows. He blinked several times and rubbed his eyes, slowly realizing that today was the day of their arrival. He had to hurry! But hurrying had become very difficult since he turned 85! It was a strange feeling but he countered this fact with witty sarcasm. "Here we are again, the once so fidgety and funny guy has become an old slow prune!" he said to himself while he tried to slide off his bed and into his slippers. He needed over 30 minutes to get into his clothes and now he tried to make his walk down the stairs to the dining room. "Come on are you serious? 30 minutes to change my clothes and now 10 minutes for the stairs? Oh my, I truly missed the day I turned into a turtle." Still mocking himself he didn't notice that everyone around him was hurrying because the guest would nearly arrive in 5 minutes! When he finally reached the end of the stairs, Anne was scurrying out of the dining room, changing directions to face her old friend instead of asking the servant of her daughters current location. "AHH there you are! We missed you at breakfast," she said to him, her voice was longing for air because she'd been running. "I´m sorry, I really wanted to join you, but you know these old feet don't want to walk as fast as I wish," he answered, lightly grinning.  
"Oh Ambrose, still melancholy about your age? I told you that it doesn't matter how old you are, if you just feel young … " she wanted to go on but suddenly she heard doors opening. Ambrose sighed, luckily they interrupted Anne's lecture about being happy in life. He couldn´t believe it, but now the word " Happiness" seemed pretty odd to him. His face lit up when he heard the lovely voice that belonged to Sapphire and moments later, he saw her jumping through the hallway right into his direction. She and her sister Glinda were holding hands while they laughed and chatted. Their parents were talking with Anne and moseyed a few steps behind their children. "Ambrose!" Sapphire was now shouting because she realized that her friend was standing besides the stairs observing both of them. "Doll," was his answer and when the little girl came up to him, he tried to lift her but unfortunately his backbone didn't want to cooperate. "I'm sorry doll, no lift up today," he said to her with a sad glance. "No problem! Oh Ambrose we both missed you so much!" Sapphire answered. "Yeah, that's right and we missed your stories!" Glinda added coming out from behind her sister. "Oh and I missed you too, my little princesses!" he said with a soft grin. "How was your trip?" he added. "Boring," Sapphire snorted. Ambrose couldn't help but laugh, the little girl in her red gown reminded him so much of DG when she was younger. "Oh that sounds horrible, how could your parents do this to you? All right I think there's only one chance to cure this evil disease called *boredom*" he said and the eyes of the kids suddenly lit up. "A story?" Glinda asked with anticipation. "My most loved one," he shortly answered. "Hooray!" both sang in a chorus. "We only have to ask Mommy, if she's all right with it. Stay here," Sapphire added and took the hand of her sister. "Don't worry I won´t go away in the next, let me see..." he looked upstairs, "well 10 minutes or so," he answered and now all the three of them had to laugh. It took the little girls, five minutes of begging and pouting until their Mom allowed them to skip breakfast and join Ambrose in his room. Now they were standing in front of the stairs, eyes observing the first step. "That´s one small step for man one giant leap for Ambrose," the former advisor joked while he climbed up the stairs in slow –motion. After passing the many stairs, continuing the self-mocking, Ambrose and his two little fellows reached the huge doors of his laboratory. He opened the creaky doors with his shaky hands and let them in. Sapphire and Glinda rushed through the giant room, passing many tables with mysterious mixtures and glass containers on them, directly into Ambrose's bedroom and onto his comfortable bed. They couldn´t wait any longer, the last time he had told them one of his stories he had to stop at the most thrilling point because their Mom wanted them to go to bed and the next day Ambrose was too tired to continue. Now they were excited to hear what would happen next. Ambrose slowly shuffled to his room, observing the tables and the portraits on the walls, his memories rushing through his mind. "Remembering hurts," he thought. "It hurts but I can´t live without my memories." His eyes stopped in front of a huge portrait that was hiding in a corner. After they all had gone he had banished it into this hiding place because he couldn't stand the sight of it. Now he had to examine it again. The portrait showed DG, Cain, Raw, Jeb, Azkadellia and him when they were younger. Everyone was smiling. The artist had painted it after the defeat of the witch as a wedding gift to Jeb and DG. "So long ago," he thought again, his memories still rushing... suddenly he felt something pulling at his sleeve. "Ambrose, are you ok? What about the story?" he now recognized that it was Glinda who pulled at his sleeve because he had blacked out for more than 5 minutes and he was standing in the middle of his room, frozen like a statue of ice. "Huh? Oh yes the story, I'm sorry doll, I was just.. umm remembering something, I´m coming." He took her little palm and followed her into his bedroom, Sapphire was sitting there, waggling her feet. He sat down into a huge arm chair and Glinda let herself fall down onto the bed, next to her sister. "Let me see, where did we leave off?" he asked. "You told us that the evil Witch was defeated and that our great -grandma DG was going to marry Cain's son Jeb," Sapphire and Glinda were singing in a chorus. " Right", Ambrose scratched his forehead while remembering. " And you told us that you had your brain surgery and Cain left because the queen had offered him the job as a Tin-Man Captain and he had to train the new troops," Glinda added. "Yeah I remember that, go on," Ambrose said still rubbing his head. "And after Cain heard that his son was going to marry and after DG had written him a letter announcing a Christmas ball, he decided to come back and attend the ball in honor to the engagement," Sapphire said with a tiny giggle. "All right and then I wanted to tell you the story of the great ball, right?" Ambrose asked with a smile. "YES!" both girls were screaming with joy. "Ok, ok I´m going to tell you," he said and began talking: "50 years ago the whole O.Z royalty was invited to the biggest event since the marriage of Queen Lavender Eyes and Prince Ahamo. The ballroom could expect hundreds of guests….. Glinda and Sapphire were listening with excitement while everything around was fading away and the pictures of the past were coming to life in front of them.

The O.Z 50 years ago: It took Cain less than two days until he had reached the Northern Island. It was strange that he never had been really far away from his family and still rarely visited them. As he rode his horse through the big gate, he was already excepted at the stables. A tall man with a uniform of the Royal Guard stood there to take delivery of Cain, a slightly smaller young man was standing beside him. He wore a less noble blue shirt, brown corduroy pants and long black riding boots, he had to be a stable boy, because when Cain rose from his horse, the boy took his horse and beaconed it into a large box. "My dear Mr. Cain, they are already waiting in the ballroom. The festivities are in full swing and the princess hoped that you will join them in a appropriate costume as well," said the Servant. "Well if so, I won't make them wait," Cain said with a nervous undertone. The servant led him to his room and showed him the costume that DG had already chosen for him, then he left the room with a deep bow. "What a relief that DG has already chosen something for me, the kid knows that I'm not the right guy for such things," he said to himself and smiled. On his bed lay black pants, a white ruffled shirt and a black vest with golden ornaments on it. Above the shirt and the vest he had to wear a black jacket. In addition DG had also chosen a red scarf and black leather shoes. And on top of it he had to wear a tricorn and a black mask. "At least no one will recognize me now," he said while examining himself in the mirror. He knew it was about time to go to the ballroom. When the festivities were already in full swing, it wouldn´t be long until DG got impatient and he could very well imagine how she would react when he showed up too late. It took him a long time until he was mentally ready to walk out off his room. What would await him behind the heavy ballroom doors? Certainly bright colors and lots of people and lots of strange and uncomfortable things ... But he especially wondered how his friends had developed over the last few months. In particular, he wondered what had happened to Glitch. He couldn´t help himself but he felt a very strange feeling inside that he couldn't explain, and the longer he was away from him the more he missed Glitch's features, his muddle-headedness and his deep optimism. Had he fallen in love with him? Could it really be that inside Cain always had feelings for both genders? He was suspicious but oddly enough he wasn´t ashamed of his new feelings. There was only one problem: If he really loved him then he wouldn't know how to tell his son and everyone else and he didn´t even know if Glitch felt the same for him, but he had made the decision to spend Christmas with his family to find out for himself whether his feelings were actually in and out of this one man. They were at least as strong as his feelings for his wife Adora. Now he wanted to find out. Without participation he had reached the ballroom and noticed that he was standing in front of the great entrance door. "Quiet Cain, breathe, it's just a Christmas ball, you're wearing a mask, nobody will recognize you ... and if you see Glitch your heart will tell you what to do next," he told himself to calm down. Then he opened the doors. As already mentioned: the scene was colorful, bright and glorious. The ballroom was decorated in warm shades of red, banners and garlands of red alternating with pink-colored ones, he also saw shades of gold and white and everything was perfectly coordinated. A chandelier gleamed from the ceiling, at the foot of the hall stood the thrones of the royal family and on the edge stood a long table with punch, snacks of all kinds and much more. In the middle was enough space to dance and Cain saw many noble men and women dressed in impressive costumes floating across the floor to soft tunes coming from the orchestra. In a corner of the room he could see his old friend Raw and he was happy to see the Seer again because so far he had only seen DG and Jeb dancing merrily and the Queen and her husband Ahamo dancing as well. He found it inappropriate to interrupt them while they were dancing. He also wanted to avoid being forced to replace one of the two gentlemen. He had never been good at keeping a conversation during a dance. So he went to the corner of the room to speak to Raw, he began to smile and could see that Raw's face lit up. "Cain back!" he said shortly, and to Cain's surprise, he embraced him. "It's also nice to see you again, Raw. How have you been in the past few months?" the Tin Man asked him. "Raw feels good, is now back with his people," the Seer replied . "This is fantastic! And do you know how the others have been while I was gone ... I have not yet dared to address DG, but she sounded very angry in her letter .. how is my son?.. and how .. how is Glitch? " Cain hoped that Raw couldn't feel his nervousness when he came up to Glitch. The shaggy seer smiled. "Yes, DG angry because of stubborn Tin Man, Jeb on cloud nine because of DG and Glitch happy again because of ... Brain surgery, " Raw said and faltered. Cain's eyes widened. "Brain surgery? Glitch has his brain, his old self again? But why hasn't someone informed me?" Cain's heart was given a shock, it felt strange. "Really Glitch is whole again? He surely must be happy being Ambrose again, but can you tell me why I don´t know anything about it?" he replied in a dry voice. "Because Glitch too angry, was hurt that Cain went without saying," Raw said and Cain's eyes lit up again. "So Glitch was only mad because he's worried about me? Because I ran away without mentioning? Thought he'd probably "like" me? That would be fantastic, I must find him," Cain thought . "I understand, yes it was really rude for me to run away without saying Goodbye," Cain purred, still dazed by the thought that Glitch .. his Glitch was maybe feeling the same way for him. Suddenly a cool hand grabbed his shoulder, he turned with a shock and looked at a white mask with red feathers, behind the mask were dark, but clear blue eyes, the lady was wearing a red gown, very similar to the gown of her coronation ceremony. Cain feared the worst, yet DG flung her arms around his neck without saying a word. "Finally you're back home," she whispered. "I'm sorry," Cain whispered back. "Already excused! I'm just glad you're back."DG said . After they loosened their embrace Cain held her away from him and examined her. "You look happy, I mean what I can spot from under your mask," Cain added. "Thank you, but your costume looks great too," she replied with a grin. "I know from a reliable source that someone with a good taste picked it," Cain said. Now both had to laugh. "Father, it's nice to see you once again," came a voice from behind DG, it was Jeb who now also flung to his father's neck. "I'm glad to be back and I am particularly pleased to see my son so happy, so you and DG are officially engaged now?" Cain broke the hug and looked into the cold blue eyes of his son, his face flushed then he smiled because he couldn´t suppress the joy any longer. "Yes, we are! Just after your departure we came closer and closer and now we no longer can be without the other, do you havve any objections?" Jeb asked lightly, and embarrassingly looked to his father. Cain paused for a moment with a stare ... He wanted to make Jeb nervous on purpose, then he broke his gaze and suddenly began to laugh. "Of course not! I'm happy for you son, that's great!" Cain now embraced his son again then DG. He was glad to be back home and see his people so happy and in love ... love that was the word, somehow he had to find Glitch, although it couldn't be hard to find him at a ball, because everyone knew that Glitch is a passionate dancer. Nevertheless, Cain wanted to avoid that all at once got wind of his feelings. He wanted to find out only for himself, how he felt about the Zipperhead and how the Zipperhead felt about him. A few minutes of silence passed until Cain finally came up to speak again, "This seems to be a resounding success indeed," he said as he looked at the many guests who still happily turned their rounds on the dance floor. "The festivities cost me a lot of planning," DG said, smiling, ".. But Glitch was a true blessing he helped me very much," she added. Glitch there he was again, this was the right moment to take advantage to ask for his love. "I've heard that Glitch has rediscovered his old self and he apparently didn't want to report it to me. I hurt him pretty badly, huh? " Cain said and his throat threatened to wrapping up. DG had to smile, she remembered her conversation with Glitch, just before his operation. "Cain will notice it at his next visit, if he decides to come back, this stubborn old gruffy Tin Man really has to do something against his bitter cynicism!' he had said at the time and both had to laugh after that. "You know him, he is very optimistic but always had an urge for being dramatic," DG said and grinned again. Now Cain had to smile, but he wasn´t satisfied . "And say, is he is also here tonight? Or won't he give me the honor to congratulate him because he would rather play the bitchy diva?" he asked awkwardly. "Of course he is here tonight, finally we both have organized the whole festival. But it doesn´t surprise me that you haven´t seen him yet, because he's wearing the zipper no longer and his masquerade is fantastic," DG answered. Cain's excitement rose, no zipper, his memories, he could hardly wait for his old friend in his arms. "If you want to congratulate him, I would say you go straight after him now, he´s going to the buffet at this moment ," Jeb whispered to him. "He wears a white costume and a tricorn, your costumes are matched, it was his idea," he added. Cain's heart was pounding and he tried to hide his nervousness in front of his son. Matched? what was the meaning of all this? After he had recovered his composure, Cain tried to find Glitch, he jostled through the dancing crowd and battled through to the buffet. His breath caught as he saw a man Glitch's size with a white jacket and a white tricorn hat . He slowly walked towards the man and tried to calm his breathing, he had just calmed down as the man turned around suddenly and saw him. At that moment, Cain was promoted to cloud nine, his heart seemed to stop, he heard the angels began singing and he knew that this man faced him exactly was the One! On Glitch's face a smile was formed, it was the same sugar-sweet and innocent smile which he had so often given to Cain. Not only did his costume give him an elegant and neat appearence, his now sorted hair gave him a dazzling appearance. He wore white, narrowly tailored trousers, over a white shirt with a gold vest, the ornaments were similar to those of Cain, over it he was wearing a white jacket with gold buttons. A white mask with gold colored feathers completed the whole picture. His chocolate brown eyes sparkled behind the mask, and his medium-length brown hair hung slightly curled to the side beaming across his face, he had doffed the tricorn and Cain realized that the zipper was really gone, above the scars his hair had completely grown back. Glitch's face also graced the slight shadow of a beard, which made him look healthier and more masculine. Cain was amazed how handsome this man was looking and how much he had missed his smile. With graceful steps, Glitch now came up to him and when he came to a stand before him, he hugged him. "Wyatt freaking Cain!" he whispered in his ear, and Cain hardly tried not to flush .He was longing for this hug and it felt good. Cain didn´t dare to raise his eyes and to stare into this soft brown ones, but he had to do something, he could not allow Glitch to grow suspicious. He broke the embrace roughly. "What did you just call me?" He asked gruffly. Glitch had to laugh. "How much I've missed your cynicism," he replied and Cain could feel his heart beat harder and harder …and louder! Cain would have preferred to immediately carry this guy in his hands into his chamber, where they could tested the joys of his desire but he had to stay strong. "Stay calm Cain, stay calm. How are you going to find out something about Glitch's feelings if you can´t think of anything else than seeing him naked, what are you a 13-year-old schoolgirl?" While Cain struggled with his thoughts Ambrose himself seemed to have noticed his absent-mindedness. "Cain, are you all right ?" he asked suspiciously, but the other was still deep in thoughts, suddenly the familiar voice seemed recall him back to life. "Huh? Oh yes .. I´m… I´m all right.. I was only thinking that.. " Cain muttered to himself, he now had to find something suspicious to escape Ambrose glances. Then he saw the dance floor and he got an idea. "I Ehmm, I was asking myself if it wouldn´t be nice to share a dance with you on the dance floor . You know for old time's sake. I lead …you follow, remember?" he finally asked and Glitch had to smile. He seemed flattered and before Cain knew it the brown-haired already grabbed his hand and staggered with him onto the dance floor. Many eyes watched as Cain put his hand gently on Ambrose's hip, the music seemed to falter as Cain struggled for breath. "And you think you know what you're doing there, Cain? Remember I´m a gifted dancer," Ambrose whispered with a smile. Cain was very aware of himself and gave Ambrose a nod in response. Only a second later they were moving their feet to the beat of the music. At the beginning Cain was only awkwardly staring at his feet because he didn´t want to step on the feet of his counterpart. However, he remarked after a few minutes that he could completely rely on his dance partner. So he lost himself in the music. He felt warmth and heat flow through his body, he gave himself up to this warm feeling of joy.. until he finally realized where this feeling came from! Unnoticed, he had placed his head on Glitch's shoulder and now Glitch supported his forehead against his head! Both stood now and moved to slow and gentle tones from one foot to another. Glitch was humming and Cain suddenly felt dizzy, he felt as if they were the only people on the dance floor, but there were other people and they looked at the two in amazement! Cain hastily broke his "hug" with Glitch and he began to clear his throat nervously. "Cain? What´s wrong with you? "Glitch asked in surprise. "Ehmm listen Glitch, ehh we .. I think we have to talk, Ambrose," Cain stammered and looked awkwardly on the ground. "Would you mind if we go on the balcony?" He asked and gazed into the confused chocolate brown eyes of the former Head Case. Ambrose still seemed confused and Cain could see a slight disappointment in Ambrose's eyes because of his hasty reaction, but in the end he nodded slightly and Cain led him to the balcony outside of the ballroom, out into the cool dark night…..

There was silence for a long time…. "Ambrose?" Glinda curiously asked. Ambrose was still sitting in the armchair, eyes searching for something but without success. Moments later he had collected his wits again. "Ambrose what's wrong?" Sapphire's voice trembled with fear. "Huh? Oh I´m sorry princess.. I was just.. caught by the old memories.. I .. I´m sorry," he stammered feeling ashamed of himself. "Do you want to take a break and continue your story later?" Glinda asked with a soft voice. Ambrose only nodded observing his feet. "Come, Sapphire, I guess Mommy wants to see us downstairs in the Dining room, we should give Ambrose some time to relax, he seems tired." Glinda grabbed the palm of her sister and rushed to the wooden doors of the laboratory. "I hope you´ll feel better after some sleep, get well soon we´ll see you later at diner ok?" she said and her question was replied by a second nod. She and her sister slipped out the room and left the old advisor alone with his memories. After they were gone he started crying. Warm tears rolled down his cheek .. he knew this would happen, he had had this strange feeling about it before but now he knew he was right. "Remembering hurts and it won´t stop hurting!" he thought to himself than he passed out onto his bed, still sobbing


	3. A heartbreaking nightmare

Chapter 3: A heart-breaking nightmare

"NOOO!", Ambrose sobbed. " You´re lying ! Yesterday he was feeling so well again!", he now screamed. " I´m sorry Ambrose but these are the facts, the end is not far off…" D.G held his palm and tried to hold back her tears. "I.. I´m sorry but he´s going to die", she said with a trembling voice , tears now rolling down her cheek. " I don´t believe you!", Ambrose couldn´t stop yelling , his face was red from all the crying and screaming. " I know", D.G replied. It was a hard and dark day for everyone in the castle. The news had reached them all, Cain was lying on his death bed. 42 years had passed after the defeat of the witch and everyone´s life had become perfect. D.G and Jeb were married and had three healthy and beautiful children. Azkadellia had found love too and was married to a noble man from a neighboring country , Raw had adopted Calm and Ambrose had married Cain... they had long forgotten the feeling of suffering. Life was beautiful , the days were bright and happy. Now they remembered! Three months ago all the horror had begun. Cain wasn´t feeling well after their trip to Finaqua , he had assumed that it was only a problem of age , being a 69 year old ex-cop but still everyone couldn´t stop being suspicious. After a visit at the doctor their suspicion was confirmed. " It´s a tumor", came the dry answer of Ambrose as they walked in the dining room and everyone was watching them with confusion. Glitch had cried and Cain was pale like a sheet of paper. " A tumor?", D.G asked in horror. " That´s what I said!" , Ambrose snapped but quickly felt bad for his rough answer. "I´m sorry doll, didn´t want to offend you", he added with a sigh and let himself sink into a chair next to her. Everyone was starring at Cain , the former Tin Man was still standing in the middle of the room , starring into the air. " You´re alright with it Dad?", Jeb suspiciously asked. Suddenly Cain felt to his knees and started crying , Ambrose hushed to his husband and embraced his shoulders. " It´s alright honey we´re getting through this", he whispered while rubbing Cain´s back to comfort him. "I won´t let you die", he added , tears were coming back and now D.G and Jeb had to cry too. They joined the crying couple on the floor and now they all were hugging and crying and trying not to lose their minds because of this horrible message. " We´re at your side Dad, I won´t let you go either!", Jeb said after some time. They were now sitting at the big dining table again . " Jeb and Glitch are right , you won´t be alone , we´re one family you know?", D.G said lightly smiling and Cain nodded . It was going to be a hard healing process but he was ready to fight the Death. Weeks passed by and Cain was forced to do a chemotherapy and avoid much walking, jumping, riding even having some fun with his grandchildren. All of his friends were busy to make him feel much more comfortable, staying at the edge of his bed , remembering their old adventures, telling him stories of their actual life. Cain was glad that they visited him. Spending the whole time in bed had become very boring and with each day went by he felt even more sick , because of his vanishing usefulness and the boredom. The only light in his life was Ambrose. Every morning he woke up and watched his husband dreaming and snorting he had to chuckle. He couldn´t believe that after all those years the Zipperhead still took his breath away. Ambrose´s hair was getting thinner and since he had turned 45 ,so long ago (20 years to be exact) it had become grey . His face had become paler and wrinkly but the bright sparkle in his eyes had remained over all these years. Inside he knew that his life was fading away, he knew he had lost the fight , but he wasn´t sure how long it would take until his body gave up. Now three months later his time had come. Ambrose was still crying after D.G had told him that he and Cain would only have a few hours left.

"Cain? Can you hear me?", Ambrose was sitting on the edge of Cain´s bed holding his hand. Cain was in a kind of delirium status and was murmuring strange things. " He completely lost his mind", D.G said while sitting in a chair next to the bed , watching her dying father in law. " Don't say that!", Ambrose snapped, tears filling his eyes. "I´m sorry", D.G replied feeling embarrassed for her rude comment . " You don´t have to excuse , I know what you mean.. it´s just ", Ambrose had to catch his breath to prevent himself from crying. " He looks like he´s in deep pain and I can´t stand the sight of it. I want to help him but we all know that it´s too late. Oh doll I never felt so terrible! I´m exhausted that´s all", he said. " I know how you feel , I think we´re all exhausted.", she replied. Ambrose only nodded. While Cain´s last moments in life , his friends were surrounding his bed, except of his grandchildren. Jeb and Ambrose were both holding his hands , covering their faces in the pillows. Every time Cain was coughing and his breathing was getting slower and slower each of them hold their breathes. It was a long and suffering fight which Cain lost with all of his power. This cold and rainy October day was one of the saddest days in Ambrose life , the light of his love had gone out.

He woke with a sudden haste, his face, hands and body covered in sweat. His heart was pouting and he was rapidly breathing. "It was just a nightmare ", he said to himself hiding his face behind his hands. " You dreamed of Cain´s death again , why can´t you forget this horrible day", his hands were shaking. Outside his window the two suns were shining bright. He must have missed dinner and breakfast because the suns were at peak of the sky. Although he had slept a lot , he felt exhausted , his muscles were aching and his eyes felt like a week without closing. " Accept it or not you´re a wreck , a shadow of the once so bright advisor" ,he thought. Before he could say another word , a pretty , tiny face was carefully peaking through the door. " Glinda!", he had noticed her immediately. " Hey Ambrose, eww I didn´t want to snoop , but we were afraid that something happened to you, because you didn´t show up at dinner yesterday and today you also missed breakfast so Anne and Sapphire threatened me to have a look at you.", she murmured with her sweet delicate voice. " It´s alright sweetie , come in and tell your sister that she can come out of her hiding place behind the door .", he said with a grin. Without hesitating Glinda opened the door widely and rushed to Ambrose who was sitting on his bed. She put aside the many pillows and placed her body next to his , her sister didn´t run but after Ambrose gave her a sweet smile , she also joined them on the bed. " So… now , I missed dinner and breakfast and I guess you two can´t wait to hear the rest of my story am I right?", Ambrose asked them after both were sighing because nobody knew what to say. " If you don´t mind to go on, it would be nice", Sapphire shyly whispered. " Of course not!", Ambrose replied and both faces lit up with excitement. " Ok Cain and I were standing at the balcony , right? Let me see". And so Ambrose continued telling them the story of him and Cain.

The O.Z 50 years ago (still the same day , now at the balcony) :

Cain´s heart was pouting in his chest. It felt as if it was dancing to the fast rhythm of a salsa or tango. Ambrose was watching the night sky. Cain was fascinated how relaxed the ex-Headcase was, carefully he stepped forward resting his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Do you want to know what my Grandma used to say?", Cain startled up , he had been lost in his thoughts and now Glitch was talking because he wanted to break the silence. Cain cleared his throat . " What did she use to say?", he asked . " Brose my little angel , the stars are our loved one s who passed away a long time ago", Ambrose replied and sighed. Cain was confused but tried to hide it. "So?" , he asked. "Isn´t that funny?, I mean the stars are beautiful and there´s something magical about them but do you believe that they´re our loved ones who passed away?", Glitch had to laugh. But Cain didn´t laugh , he felt a hole in his heart. Desperately he looked up to the sky. " What if Adora is up there?", he said and all of a sudden Glitch stopped laughing. " Oh Cain, I´m sorry I didn´t want to..", "It´s ok Glitch it´s not your fault", Cain whispered. " So do you believe that she´s up there?", Ambrose shyly asked. "Well.. hmm I don´t know I´m not one of these spiritual people , but wouldn´t it be nice to know that one day , you´re going to be reunited again with the people you lost?", Cain asked and the Zipperhead had to frown. After a while he nodded "Yeah I think that would be wonderful", now he grinned and looked up to the sky again. Cain felt that he was getting even more nervous with every minute that passed by. " I hope that she´s up there waiting for you. It must be hard to be up there ,lonely without a partner", Glitch sighed. " Well it´s also hard to be the one who´s been left behind", Cain whispered but mostly to himself because Ambrose didn´t noticed him. He had to do something , he hadn´t asked him to come out at the balcony to talk about Stars. He took one more step forward , now standing as close as possible behind Ambrose, softly he grasped his hand and turned him around to look into his beautiful chocolate brown eyes . " So now I want to ask you something", Cain said. Ambrose was blinking at his hands in confusion but he only nodded. "Everything you want me to ask", he said his voice shaking. " Would you miss me , if I pass away?" , he asked his heart now pouting as hard as possible. Ambrose eyes widened with shock , which made Cain felt very uncomfortable. But he had no reason to , because the smaller one was now squeezing his hands , tears filling his eyes. " Don't say that ever again Mr. Cain! " , he said with a trembling voice . Cain was even more confused now, was that a good sign that Ambrose was yelling at him?. " I can´t even stand the thought that something would happen to D.G, Raw , Azkadellia, Jeb , the Queen , Ahamo", he stopped for a moment. "And you", he continued. Cain sighed , "So he can´t stand the thought of all of us dying but there´s no difference if I´m the one who´s dying or not", he thought to himself. " Thank you, I´m sure the others would appreciate your caring", he said with a dry voice, very disappointed he wanted to pull away his hands but Ambrose didn´t let go. " I wasn´t finished Tin Man!", he said with a softly grin. "If you were the one dying I would lose my mind. My heart would die as same as your body would die and I wouldn´t be able to stop crying. Cain you´re maybe a gruffly pain in the ass sometimes but you definitely have a heart and every time I´m next to you my heart is going to melt away… I", Glitch couldn´t finish the sentence because soft lips were pressing against his, stopping him kissed with much passion , teeth clinked and tongues fought for dominance. Glitch's hands wrapped themselves securely around Cain's waist, trying to keep them as close together as humanly as possible. When they finally parted Cain caught his breath. He had won!. " Well that´s a surprise", Ambrose said after he had catch his breath too. " But I hope a good one ", Cain answered. " Of course Cain , that´s all I ever wanted, I… I love you", Ambrose laughed and wrapped his arms around Cain´s neck. Cain heart was jumping now, little fireworks starting in his head. " I love you too, Zipperhead!", Cain replied with the hugest smile someone had ever seen on the Tin Man´s face. The two remained in this position for a long time , Ambrose now resting his head on Cain´s shoulder watching the night sky again. " Look a falling star!", Ambrose pointed to the firmament and Cain turned around. " Seems as if you can make wish", he said smiling. " You too", Ambrose grinned. " My wish already came true", Cain answered and Ambrose smile lit up then he closed his eyes . " I wish that we´ll always be together and that nothing will part us , even death", Glitch whispered . "Together forever?" , he asked Cain after opening his eyes again. " And ever sweetheart", Cain replied and they shared another heartwarming kiss .

Glinda and Sapphires eyes were sparkling. " So dolls and that´s the happy ending of my story", Ambrose said. " That… was… amazing!" , Glinda was smiling " I´m so glad Cain finally told you the truth , oh that was so romantic and sweet !", Sapphire yelled with excitement. Ambrose smiled he knew that this story would make them happy after all it was his favorite one . Glinda and sapphire couldn´t stop babbling in excitement both trying to elect the best part. " But wait!", Glinda suddenly covered Sapphire´s mouth. " What happened to Cain?", she asked glancing at Ambrose. His smile faded away, his heart sunk into his feet´s . The night had broken and the Stars were twinkling at the sky. Ambrose scuffed to the windowsill , Sapphire and Glinda followed him. " He´s up there waiting for me", he said and sighed. The girls shared a gloomy glance and laid their hands on Ambrose shoulder. " We´re so sorry", Sapphire said and rubbed his back. " You don´t have to , doll. He was a great guy and my hero , but everyone has to die when their time has come, even a hero", he said his eyes felt wet but he didn´t want to cry in front of his two little fellows. " Plus, remember what he promised?", Ambrose asked. " Together forever?", Glinda answered " And ever", he added. They starred at the night sky for a long time . Until both girls felt that their eyes had to rest. " Come on princesses it´s late and you have to go to bed, otherwise I bet your Mom is going to kill me for letting you both stay up all night", Ambrose finally said when he noticed that Glinda couldn´t stop yawning . "Ok Ambrose but there´s something I want to ask you before I´ll go to sleep", Sapphire stood in front of him , taking his hands into hers. " What do you want to know?", he asked. " Are you alright? I mean did your heart really broke because of his death?", she asked her voice sounded sad. For a moment there was silence, then Ambrose sighed. " My heart didn´t broke darling, that´s impossible because a heart can´t break , but … you know it feels as if a part of my heart disappeared and left a wound that´s never going to heal ….I loved Cain and now he´s gone ,but I´m fine sweetie, really you don´t have to worry." , he said and stroke her cheek. Sapphire listened to his words with lots of attention, and when he stroke her cheek he wrapped her arms around his necks. "Goodnight Ambrose, I wish I could do something for you", she whispered and he rubbed her back. " I know , doll it´s ok Goodnight and sleep well", he replied. Sapphire broke their embrace and took the hand of her younger sister. "Shall we?", she asked her and Glinda nodded. " Sleep well too little angel", Ambrose said and gently kissed her forehead . Glinda giggled " Goodnight Ambrose, I love you", " I love you too, princesses" , he smiled and minutes later the two little girls were gone, leaving Ambrose behind.. again. It was strange but this time he didn´t felt as bad as the night before. His heart was pouting in a normal frequency and his hands had stop shaking. Before he went to bed , he looked up to the sky again. " I know it has been a long time sweetheart but I promise that one day I´m coming , you only have to wait.", he said . Slowly he slipped under the blankets and closed his eyes.


	4. Til death do us part

Chapter 4: Till death do us part

The others had been going to sleep a long time ago. Cain was slowly dying and it was 3am in the morning. Everyone had been tired and Ambrose told them to go to bed. "I´ll call you if something is going to happen", he had said, now he and his husband were the only ones left in their bedroom. Cain breathed hard , his eyes closed , hands cold resting in Ambrose palms. It killed him, it nearly killed him to watch his love , suffering in pain. Cain was feverish and his hands were sweating. He couldn´t stop murmuring and rolling from one side to the other. Ambrose placed his hand at Cain´s forehead and suddenly the Tin Man opened his eyes. " Glitch?" , came the question " Yes sweetheart?", Ambrose startled up by the mentioning of his old nickname. " Do you remember our night at the balcony?", Cain whispered. " Of course I do, darling . It was the happiest night of my life", Ambrose answered , stroking the hot cheek of his love. " We shared our first kiss and later we made love", Cain continued and Ambrose had to sob. " I know ,darling it was wonderful", he said. Cain looked up into his eyes and tried to reach Ambrose cheek with his hand, Ambrose lend forward so that Cain was able to stroke his cheek as same as he had done it for him before. " And do you remember what we we´re talking about?", he asked. Ambrose frowned. " We were talking about the stars and what my grandma used to say about them , why?", the advisor asked. " You were so shocked of my question and it made my heart melt away because I was afraid you wouldn´t care about my death", Cain said. Ambrose snorted. " Yeah you were a silly fool my darling", he answered. Cain coughed and Ambrose startled up again. " I´m alright darling I´m not going to leave you yet. But you have to know in a few hours , I hope, I´m going to go up there", he mentioned . " Up where?" , came the question of Ambrose. " Up to the skies , Zipperhead .I´m going to be a star, waiting for you", Cain replied. Ambrose eyes were now filling with tears and he couldn´t prevent himself from crying any longer. The tears were running down his cheek watering Cain´s pillows and blanket . " Ssh , darling it´s alright please don´t cry", Cain rubbed the back of his love. " I can´t Cain , I can´t ! I´m going to miss you so hard", Ambrose sobbed. " And I´m going to miss you too , but you have to be strong. For me ok?", Cain asked. The smaller man stopped crying and nodded. " Are you afraid?", he asked while they both were lying on their bed ,arms wrapped around each other. " A bit , but as long as you´re at my side I don´t feel any fear.", the dying man answered. " I love you" , Ambrose said and started kissing Cain for maybe the last time of his life. " I love you too my silly Zipperhead", Cain replied and shared the warm kiss. They remained on their bed for a long time until Cain´s breath was getting slower and slower, before Cain went unconscious Ambrose had to ask him one last question. "Cain?, Cain can you hear me?", he gently patted on his shoulder . "Huh? Honey I´m sorry I´m so tired what´s up?", he replied. "Are you going to wait for me?" , the Advisor asked. Cain deeply looked him into the eyes. "Of course!", he said and a tiny last smile was formed at his lips. One hour later he was dead and the world around Ambrose shattered.

Only a few people were invited to Cain´s funeral. D.G , Jeb and their children were sitting in the front row next to Ambrose, Azkadellia, her husband and Raw were sitting behind them. The Pastor talked about Cain´s life and how important he had been for the life of the O.Z . He honored his work as a Tin Man and blessed the coffin. Later everyone was allowed to say a few words about the deceased. Ambrose couldn´t talk , he wanted to say a few words , describe how much he loved Cain but he couldn´t talk, his throat felt constricted and his mouth was dry. His eyes ached from all the crying and red marks covered his face. He didn´t hear the others spoke , their voices had a hollow sound to him. When the coffin was lowered into the ground he didn´t cry , he didn´t feel and didn´t say a word. He only knew that this was the last time he would see his husband ever again.

3 years passed . For Ambrose , every day was dark now , every day was sad and rainy , every day felt like his last day. ….He wished that every day could be his last day. Nobody was able to support him however much they tried. He thought that this nightmare couldn´t become any weirder. To make himself feel more comfortable he always said to himself : "This is rock-bottom !", but he was wrong. It happened on a sunny Saturday in May ,3 years and 7 months after Cain´s death. D.G , Jeb two of their children (20 and 25 years old) Azkadellia , her husband , Raw and Calm were on a trip to Finaqua . Ambrose was too tired and desperate to join them , too many things in Finaqua remembered him of Cain. Anne D.G´s eldest daughter and her husband also stayed at the Northern Island because Anne had to rehearse for her coronation ceremony, everything seemed to be fine . The elderly were on a trip, Ambrose was sobbing in his room and the day was sunny and warm….. until….

It was about 4 pm in the afternoon when someone knocked at the big door of the entrance hall . All servants were at home because Anne had told them that they should enjoy the beautiful weather, so she was the one who rushed to the door opening it with a bright smile. Her smile immediately dropped when she saw the face of the messenger who was standing behind the door. " Ferdinand what happened to you? , you look horrible", she said with shock. " Your highness I bring bad news", Ferdinand was gasping , he longed for air because he had run many many miles. Anne ´s heart dropped " What.. what happened? Ferdinand please come in , you have to tell me everything." , she said and took the hand of Ferdinand guiding him into the kitchen.

"Oh my god that can´t be!", Anne was screaming. Tears rolling down her face, her husband was standing behind her to prevent her from collapsing. Ambrose was sitting on a chair next to Ferdinand , his face was pale , he was starring at the young messenger also with tears in his eyes. " I´m so sorry princess", Ferdinand whispered. " How could this happen?", Anne yelled "FERDINAND, HOW?", the young princess had lost all of her composure. " Ssh darling , please it wasn´t his fault", her husband stroked her cheek , now looking into her eyes , he had to calm her down even though he knew that it was impossible …she had lost so much. "I.. I", Ferdinand stammered the yelling princess made him nervous. " It´s ok Ferdinand, go and rest a bit you had a long day", Ambrose said to the exhausted young man , when Ferdinand had left he turned around to face Anne. " It was an accident doll, you hear me? It was nobody's fault.", he said with a soft voice , stepping forward to wrap his arms around the crying princess. " But why them all ? , I .. I ", Anne sobbed. Ambrose stroke her head. " Ssh I know, I know ", he said. Life wasn´t fair anymore , he knew that. Now everyone he loved, he had cared for was dead. On this bright and sunny innocent day , his friends and family had died in an horrible car accident , nobody survived. 8 innocent lights had gone out.


	5. the song of endless love

Chapter 5: The song of endless love

White all he could see was white. Sunlight beaming through the curtains. It was silent and he enjoyed every minute of this serenity. He had dreamed of him again , dreamed of the horrible day when Cain´s fingers had slipped from his hands, cold and dead. He also had dreamed of the horrible day when they were informed , that D.G and all the others had died in a car accident. There were only so few cars in the O.Z but destiny had decided to let them die. He didn´t know why he had to remember all this terrible things all at once , why now? So many years he had lived mindless, hurt but mindless and now, it was too much for him that was for sure ,but he didn´t want the memories to get the better of his mind. The only thing he was facing now was the white color of the ceiling . He had spend the morning in bed , again, he knew that Glinda and Sapphire would come after him but he didn´t care, too many emotions were rushing through his mind and body. He had to find a solution, something to stop this nightmare, he couldn´t lay hands upon himself , Heavens No! that was the last thing he would do ,but even if he was the smartest guy of the O.Z he had no idea how to escape the slowly and desperate process of suffering. He wanted to close his eyes when a silent knock came from the door. " Come in", he yelled because he didn´t want to leave his bed, without a doubt he knew it was Glinda. The little princess came running towards him a smile upon her face . How could it be that she was so happy and not exhausted ? He remembered that they had spend the whole night in his room , talking and laughing. He felt like being awake for years but she looked like the fresh new day. How odd age can be. " Hey doll, why so happy did Sapphire dedicate the last pancake to you?", he softly smiled hiding the signs of his exhaustion. " Good morning , advisor . Not exactly she ate all of the pancakes but I didn´t blame her they smelled delicious. I´m happy because tonight will be a special night.", she said sitting next to him at the edge of his bed. Ambrose blinked " A special event, did I miss something?", he asked in confusion. " You can´t remember?", she teased him knowing that he had forget it. "Please enlighten me!" , he begged. " You really can´t remember ,huh?", she had to giggle because of the confused glance on his face. " Ok I´ll tell you. Tonight will be the night of the meteorite shower", she said. " The Meteorite Shower! What wonderful news! You´re right I couldn´t remember! But it´s such a great event for a scientist like me!", he replied now joy lightning up his face. " I knew it would make you happy! I´m glad you are now! We were very worried about you!", Glinda said and embraced his torso. " But doll, I told you not to worry! Anyway what about searching a nice spot at the lake for tonight?", he asked her while stroking her soft cheek. " Agreed!" , came the answer and Ambrose had to laugh. " Ok, let's go!" , he said and grabbed her hand.

"This is the right spot, come Ambrose hurry!", Glinda yelled pulling the old advisor behind her. " Glinda please not so fast I´m not so persistent anymore!", he wheezed. " Oh come on it´s only a few miles away, look there right under the tree", she begged. " Lord in heaven, ok but please slow down", he replied. Ambrose thought it would make her happy to find a right place for watching the meteorite shower and luckily it worked very well, he would be able to watch it without someone nagging about the spot , Glinda would be happy and maybe the others would join them too, but he hadn´t planned that Glinda would drill him like a sergeant. When they finally arrived at the spot under the tree Ambrose had to admit that it really was a nice spot, the branches of the tree didn´t cover the sky and the tree trunk would make a wonderful pad for his back and neck. " Glinda I have to say , I like it here!", he said smiling. " That´s what I told you!", she replied. " And now?" Glinda added. " I don´t know , what about , you go and pick some flowers and I´ll show you how to bind a chaplet for you and Sapphire?", he asked and Glinda´s face lit up again " Yeah!", she giggled and rushed over the meadow to pick the most beautiful flowers Ambrose had ever seen.

They lay side by side on the blanket , Sapphire had brought them in the afternoon. Glinda was babbling about this and that and her sister and Ambrose were listening. " And that´s how I made the cook angry", she smiled proud of her joking story. Ambrose and Sapphire giggled. Suddenly Glinda had to yawn. " Oh I knew you both must be tired, no wonder we stayed up for so long last night!", Ambrose said with a serious but calm voice. " I´m not tired Ambrose, I was just yawning", Glinda protested. " Of course you are! Come lay down and have some sleep , we should be well rested when the meteorite shower starts, or do you want to snooze away while the stars are falling from the sky?", he said more gently . "No of course not!", Glinda replied "So ?",Ambrose asked. " I´ll lay down and have some sleep", she answered with a defiant look at the advisor . " That´s my girl", he stroke her head and kissed her forehead. " But you have to sleep too!", Sapphire protested now. " I promise", he said and stroke her head too.

Ambrose woke by a soft pull at his sleeve, he opened his eyes and looked into the bright blue ones of Anne, she had her mother´s eyes. "Ambrose wake up you´ll miss the meteorite shower", she said softly. "Is it time?", he blinked and observed the now dark night sky. " I´ve already wake Glinda and Sapphire, it´s going to start in a few minutes. Do you want to join us at the lake , or rest here leaning against the tree trunk?", she asked . " I´ll guess it would be much more comfortable for me , to remain here. But you don´t have to worry I´m fine here, go and enjoy the meteorite shower", he answered with a light smile. Anne nodded and left to join her husband and her grandchildren at the lake. " And don´t forget to make a wish!" ,he yelled. " You too!" she answered. " I already made a wish" , he whispered to himself.

Anne was right , after a few minutes of waiting eagerly the meteorite shower began. It was a stunning spectacle . It looked like the stars were falling from the sky. "Seem as if they all are coming home for a visit", Ambrose thought to himself. His eyes felt tired, he had to fight against the exhaustion because he didn´t want to miss the event he had waited for since he was a young boy . " Come on Ambrose , don´t snooze away there´s only one meteorite shower every 80 years..you can´t miss it!", he said to himself but without success. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes was followed by unstoppable yawing and figures blurring in front of him. In the end he gave up the fight and closet his eyes , this mysterious power which forced him to sleep was too strong.

"Look Mom, how beautiful", Glinda pointed up to the sky with a stunned face . She was really excited about the stars falling from the sky, she never had seen something so beautiful before. " Oh you´re so right , honey it truly is beautiful", her Mom replied. All faces were riveted by the wonderful sight. But suddenly something even more stunning happened. While the others were still watching the sky , Sapphire looked down and observed the lake, she wasn´t sure what it was , but something caught her attention. "Is it only me or are there light balls moving over the water of the lake?", she suddenly asked her grandma. Anne looked into the direction which Sapphire had pointed at with confusion but there truly were light balls moving over the water right into their direction. They became more , and over 5 bright lights were facing them now. Glinda hid behind her grandma ,her face covered into Anne´s dress. " Granny I´m scared what do they want from us?", she whispered. " I.. I don´t know", Anne replied in confusion. The lights were still there not moving , only wafting over the water. Like being possessed from a mysterious power Sapphire suddenly stepped forward to the shore of the lake , her Mom wanted to hold her back but Anne stopped her. Sapphire reached the shore and outstretched her finger , touching one of the hovering light balls. The ball illumed and so did the others. The bright light made them all cover their faces .. beautiful music began to play from out of nowhere and when the lights dimmed they were faced with 9 people hovering in front of them. They all had friendly faces, they looked youthful and healthy and wore pretty white clothes. Their faces were lightly glooming , smiles never fading away. Glinda and Sapphires couldn´t explain why but the ghostly people expressed strong inner peace and serenity. They made them feel happy and relaxed. When Anne uncovered her face it immediately dropped . " Oh my God", her mouth fell open. " It´s ok honey , don´t be afraid", one of the voices said. It was a pretty young woman , with long brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. " But how?", Anne asked the woman , which was now hovering in front of the Queen. "It´s an old fairytale , as old as time , which says that when there's hope fading away and the stars are falling from the sky be attentive because …"the woman started. "… new happiness will be near", Anne finished the sentence and embraced the young woman. " Oh mother I´ve missed you so much", she sobbed. "I know darling, I know", D.G stroked her daughters head to comfort her. Suddenly something pulled at Anne ´s sleeves. "Ehmm Granny we don´t want to interrupt your very emotional hug but could you please fill us in , who are this people?", Glinda asked her grandmother. Anne was surprised but when D.G nodded at her she broke the hug and turned to her grandchild. " You see this my little angel … is my family", she said still feeling torn between happiness and uncomfortable confusion. "Whoa this is your family? The people from Ambrose stories?", Glinda´s mouth dropped with excitement . " Yeah , I guess they are", Anne said and smiled. " Listen darling, we only have a few minutes we came because every 80 years they allow us to come down to the earth and visit the ones we left behind", D.G gently whispered. " So you´re going to disappear again?" , Anne asked with a dry voice. "I´m afraid we have to", D.G answered lowering her head. " But you have to stay!", Glinda yelled tears filling her eyes. "Honey what´s wrong with you ?", Anne asked her granddaughter which was now pulling her hands out of Anne grip, trampling in front of the lake. " Tell me who´s Cain?", she asked with a trembling voice. At her order a tall man, with a white coat and a white hat hovered in front of her . He had short blonde hair and stunning icy blue eyes. Glinda face lit up , he looked right the way how she had imagine him. " So you are Wyatt Cain?", she asked and the man nodded with a smile. " See that´s why they can´t leave , he is here , he has to meet Ambrose first. ", Glinda explained to her family and turned her head back to Cain. " He misses you , you have to talk to him. You can´t leave him alone again!", she yelled at Cain. The man´s face dropped and he let out a sigh. " I know" he said after a short break. " So?, You have to go after him!", Glinda was getting angry , emotion blurring out of her . But the man remained calm , still hovering over the lake . " You can´t be serious?", Glinda said after Cain still didn´t move. " Alright I´ll go after him , you wait here!", she said after that and trampled to the spot she had chosen hours before . The ghost watched her when , she was going to search for the advisor, exchanging worried glances. Cain felt ashamed for being helpless.

"Ambrose?", Glinda yelled, she could see the shadow of the Advisor leaning at the tree trunk but there was no response. " Ambrose ! Are you sleeping you lazy bum!", she now yelled. When she reached the tree she saw that the old advisor really had closed his eyes. " Oh you poor old man , now you missed the most stunning spectacle of our lives", she said still facing Ambrose. " He looks so serene , it´s a shame to wake him now but he must , he can´t miss this!", she said to herself leaning forward to grab the hand of her old friend. When she touched his hand she startled up in surprise. His hand was colder than ice , she now touched his face it was cold too , she checked his pulse .. but nothing!

" Mom, Grandma! Hurry something is wrong with Ambrose!", she yelled. Her family startled up because of the screaming little girl and all rushed to the tree without any resistance . Leaving the ghostly figures behind them.

Glinda turned her face to Ambrose after calling for the support of her family. " Please not you!", she whispered tears filling her eyes.

When they arrived at the tree they all had to catch their breath first. " Darling what happened?", Anne asked while she was walking next to her grandchild. " It´s … it´s ", Anne sobbed tears streaming down her face , like waterfalls. " Ssh… calm darling, calm down", Anne said stroking the back of Glinda. " He doesn´t have a pulse, his hands are cold and I can´t feel his heartbeat, I guess he´s dead!", Anne whimpered. Anne startled up with fear and immediately broke the embrace with Glinda. She tried to stay calm when she leaned down to Ambrose but her hands were shaking. She grabbed his hands , checked his pulse leaned down to check his heart beat .. but there was no sign of life , left in her old friend. It felt like the ground was fading away under her feets, her eyes widened and her breath stopped. " He´s death, Glinda I´m so sorry you were right. There´s no doubt darling", she said and now she couldn´t hold back her tears. " NOOO!", both Glinda and Sapphire screamed and sank to their knees. " But he wasn´t ill ", Sapphire said . " Yeah but he was old and exhausted his heart gave away because it had been broken a long time ago" , Anne told and gave her a kiss on the forehead. " But he told us that a heart can´t break", she whispered and tried to stroke off her tears. They remained a long time next to Ambrose now hollow body, suffering, crying until a bright beam of light caught their attention, suddenly the music they had heard before started to play again. " It´s coming from the lake", Glinda said and rushed down to the shore again, her family followed her, leaving the dead body behind.

"Looks like another light ball", Anne said trying to figure out what had caught their attention. Now there was another light ball hovering over the lake , moving forward into their direction, shortly before reaching the shore the light ball illumed like its predecessors and now a young, handsome man was walking over the water. The other ghost turned around and faced him. " Who´s that?", Sapphire asked and looked to Anne who started smiling. " That is Ambrose my darling", she said and the mouths of both girls fell open. "That is Ambrose?", they asked in confusion. Anne was still smiling being happy for her old friend. " Yes he is , but that´s how he looked when he was younger", she replied. Both girls were still confused but after a time they understood what just had happen. They turned around and faced the young man with the sweet brown eyes again, he was smiling at them with his cutest grin and well after that they knew it was him. Ambrose was now walking to Cain never breaking eye contact with his love. " I missed you", he said when he came to a stand only a few feet divided from Cain. " I know" the Tin Man said and stroked through the soft brown hair of Ambrose. " I missed you too, sweetheart", he added. " But you kept your promise", Ambrose replied and looked up into Cain´s icy blue eyes. " Of course I did, silly!", Cain countered and hugged his love. Ambrose heart started to melt away in his chest when these strong and long forgotten arms wrapped around him. He could smell him , feel him and touch him again and he knew it wasn´t a dream. It was a wonderful and heartwarming feeling. Ambrose wanted to remain in this position for ever but suddenly Cain broke their embrace. " Are you ready, honey?", Cain asked him. " Ready for what?", Ambrose confusingly asked. " Ready for becoming a star?", Cain asked again and Ambrose had to laugh. " Can´t wait" , came the response of the advisor he wrapped his arms around Cain´s neck and they shared a unforgettable kiss. The music began playing , their bodies illumed and were encased of light and within a minute, now 10 light balls were rushing up to the sky .

Sapphire, Glinda, Anne and the rest of their family looked up to the stars with amazement. " So in the end his wish came true?", Glinda asked her Granny and Anne nodded " I think it does", she said smiling and turned back to face the sky for one last time. " You deserve it Ambrose, I hope you´re finally satisfied. I love you", she whispered. " Come on ladies , it´s late and I think we have to recollect our thoughts after this breath taking and heart breaking event", she added after some time and guided her extant family into the castle. " I´m glad he´s happy now ", Glinda said to her sister while they were walking along the pass to the castle. " Me too", her sister replied with a smile and took the hand of the young girl. When they disappeared in the huge building , two little stars which were connected very close to each other began lighting up.

"And that was the story of : A song of endless Love ", Glinda said to her great- grandchildren. " That was a very sad story grandma, you promised to tell us a funny one", a little boy pouted. " But Ambrose didn´t you like the end, I think it was a happy ending , don´t you think?", Glinda asked her great- grandson . " Well you´re right and I wanted to know why my mom called me Ambrose so I think you did a great job , granny", he now said and embraced his great-grandma. " Thanks darling! But now it´s time for bed", she said to him and stroke his head. " Is it really time? Ohh Ok Good night Granny, Sleep well", he said and took the hand of his younger sister. " Sleep well too , you two!, I love you!", Glinda said and embraced the two little children. When they had left .. she went to the windowsill and looked up to the stars. It´s an old fairytale , as old as time , which says that when there's hope fading away and the stars are falling from the sky be attentive because new happiness will be near", she said to herself. " Only five months left and I´ll join you up there. I hope you´re already waiting for me", she said and smiled.

Together forever?

And ever!

The End


End file.
